Pappu Chekkalu / Nippattu

These fritters are made up of rice flour and roasted chick pea flour. Adding the chana dal and peanuts will not only enhance the crunchiness, but also enhances the flavour. A nice companion during a cold day.

Ingredients:

2 cups, rice flour
1/4 cup, Roasted chick pea flour (Pappula podi)
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh curry leaves
2 tablespoons each- soaked chana dal and roasted peanuts
Salt as per the taste


Method:
Take the flours into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. 
Parallel to this, heat the oil in a wok.
Add few table spoons of warm oil to the flour and add just enough water to make a firm dough.
Tear out small portion of dough and place it on a wax / plastic paper. Flatten it a bit and using your fingers, spread out the nippattu in a circle until it is about 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Slip these discs gently into the hot oil and deep fry to pale gold. 

Remove to paper-covered tray. Make all the fritters in the same way. It is quick if you do them in batches.

Allam chakkilalu / Ginger swirls

Few experts, they do make this with hands with out using any mould. As I am a beginer, I have used the regular muruku mould to prepare these ginger swirls. The fried ginger flavour is irresistable.

Ingredients:

Rice flour  - 2 cups

Roasted Urad flour - 1/2 cup

sesame seeds - roasted - 2 tbsp

Grated ginger - 2 tbsp

Salt – As per taste

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat a kadai/ deep pan with oil to deep fry.

Whilst oil is getting hot, sieve the flours along with salt and chilli. Mix every thing with hand and add sesame seeds and grated ginger.

Mix every thing well and add about 2 ladles full of hot oil (roughly about 1/4 cup). Do not put your hands straight into the hot oil, instead, cover the hot oil with the flour and slowly try to mix every thing to form crumbs. Slowly add water little by little until you get the smooth dough consistency.

Take the muruku mould and fill it with the dough and apply pressure to squeeze the dough. Experts, they squeeze the dough directly into the oil, where as the beginners like me will squeeze the muruku on a butter or plastic paper and then lift it into hand one at a time and slowly slip them into the oil.

Fry them under medium heat till golden colour.

Time to grab one....

Note: If you feel, the dough is bit dry or hard, take part of the dough, sprinkle some water and then knead it again. Repeat the same for the rest of the dough.

Cabbage Pakoda / Fritters

Few people don’t eat onion either due to the religious reasons or due to their body tendency or during any medication. Cabbage is nice replacer for onions due to its layered texture. I have added carom seeds in this recipe for two reasons. One, the carom seeds / vaamu are good for digestion and two, they have the unique flavor which overrides the cabbage smell.

Cabbage pakoda in the bed of cabbage leaves

Ingredients:

Cabbage, shredded – 1 cup
Carom seeds / Vaamu – 1 tsp
Basin / Gram flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Rice Flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Salt
Green chili – 2 slit them and chop into 1 inch size
Oil to deep fry
Water – 3 – 4 tbsp

Method:

Heat a pan with oil .Whilst the oil is heating, mix the chopped onion with salt, green chili, Carom seeds, gram flour and rice flours thoroughly. Now add about 3-4 tbsp of warm oil into the cabbage mixture.Mix the ingredients well, so that they resemble crumbs.Now sprinkle 3 – 4 tbsp of water and mix every thing thoroughly. (If necessary add bit more ).

Cabbage Pakoda mixture

When the oil is hot enough, pick small amounts of mixture and slip into the oil slowly.Occasionally turn the pakodas, so that they get cooked equally on all the sides.Drain them on to a paper towel and serve them warm.

 Cabbage pakoda

Gatti Pakoda / Crispy Fritters

The name itself explains that the fritters are fully crispy. Simple trick is we just need to add Basin/ Gram flour and Rice flour in 1:1 ratio, bit of warm oil and very little water to get the fritters crispier.

 Gatti pakoda / Onion fritters

Ingredients:

Onion – 2 large
Curry leaves – Hand full
Basin / Gram flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Rice Flour – 3 tbsp (Heaped)
Salt
Green chili – 2 slit them and chop
Oil to deep fry
Water – 3 – 4 tbsp

Method:

To deep fry the pakodas, heat a pan with oil on medium heat.

Whilst the oil is heating, chop Onion into thin strips. (Time Management). Mix the chopped onion with salt, green chili, Curry leaves, gram flour and rice flours thoroughly.

Now add about 3-4 tbsp of warm oil into the onion mixture.

Mix the ingredients well, so that they resemble crumbs.

Now sprinkle 3 – 4 tbsp of water and mix every thing thoroughly. (If necessary add bit more but do not make the batter loose).

Ready to fry

Increase the flame and when the oil is hot enough, take hand full of onion mixture and drop them into oil slowly by breaking the batter into small bite size pieces. This is the quick way. If you can’t do it quick enough then just pick small amounts of batter and drop into the oil slowly.

Occasionally turn the pakodas, so that they get cooked equally on all the sides.

Drain them on to a paper towel and serve them warm with Coffee or Tea. It is a great feeling, eating spicy pakodas and sipping the hot beverage.

Note: I have mentioned the measurements for about 2 - 3 servings. You can increase the quantities in the same ratio to make more.